Covenant
by Philosophy Blue
Summary: The Clans Miko and Taiyoukai have warred for centuries; tired of the strife, they negotiate for peace. Suddenly, Kagome Higurashi and Sesshomaru Taisho find themselves bound together forever by a covenant that demands their unity in every way; heart, body, and soul. How unfortunate that between them burns a hatred that reaches far beyond the usual war enmity...
1. Covenant

**I know, I know, you guys are gonna murder me for starting another story when I'm already weighed down with so many others. But I just couldn't resist, okay? It was just sitting in my flash drive, gathering dust! So yeah, I'm posting it! I have about 6 chapters right now, so I'll try to update this about once a week, or maybe every two weeks. It depends on how the story goes. Anyways... Peace! And read!**

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**cov·e·nant**

**ˈkəvənənt/**

**_noun_**

**a solemn agreement between two or more parties.**

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CH 1

The sky was a clear blue, dotted only occasionally by wisps of cloud. All was well high up...but on the ground a bloody battle raged.

The valley was filled with miko and taiyoukai fighting it out. In the center of all that chaos a bloodier and more devastating battle than the others was taking place.

A handsome silver-haired inu taiyoukai was trapped in a terrible dance of death. His partner, a beautiful miko, made up for her weaker physique with her ferocity.

"Just die, you monster!" she screamed, and hurled a ball of purification at the youkai. He growled, his golden eyes flaring red for a brief second. His youki extinguished the reiki just in time. In return, he lashed out with his sword. An orb of destructive energy stormed towards the miko, but she brought down her own, reiki-infused sword on it, and it dissipated- but not before searing away part of her hair.

Yelling, she punched out with her fist, and a mini comet of pink energy burst forth from her fingers. It streaked toward the youkai and slammed into him. He was thrown off his feet and on his back.

With a femininely wild snarl, Midoriko lunged toward him, hands infused with reiki, but Kedakai Taisho recovered quickly and hurled her away with an explosive blast of his youki.

The battle raged around them, yet they did not pay any attention to their surroundings. Two other, slightly smaller battles were going on. One was with Midoriko's youngest daughter and Kedakai's eldest son. The other was with Midoriko's eldest daughter and Kedakai's youngest son.

Kagome gasped as a youki-infused fist slammed into her stomach. Her lungs were crushed flat. She sucked in huge breaths, trying to re-inflate them as quickly as possible. She recovered, but not soon enough. Another punch to her abdomen made her fly backwards. She landed flat on her back- Her lungs were crushed yet again.

A booted foot pressed down on her throat, making it hard, no, impossible for her to breathe. She grabbed the foot with energy-filled fingers and tried to wrestle the foot off her, but it was as if it was made of stone.

Kagome growled and finally looked up into the icy eyes of Sesshomaru Taisho. "Get off me, you asshole!"

He smirked coldly. "But I was just getting comfortable." He raised his sword, Tokijin, above her head. "Shame. But as all Miko are; from filth you came, to filth you shall return." He started to bring it down hard, but his senses detected an incoming threat, and he leapt nimbly away from the arrow. He didn't have to look to see that it was Kikyo, helping her younger sister out of a tight spot. He looked around for the human and frowned when he realized that he couldn't see her.

"How about up here, you asshole?"

He looked up and scowled as he spotted the miko above his head. She brought her foot crashing down on his head.

Growling, he grabbed her ankle and slammed her into the ground as hard as he could. She cried out, and he found pleasure in her pain. She scrambled up quickly, firing quick blasts of reiki at him. Sesshomaru dodged them all. Did she really think they would affect him?

He lunged forward, fangs bared, claws extended, ready to take her life.

He snarled as he bounced off a shield of holy energy. He landed gracefully on his feet and glared at his prey.

"What a coward you are, hiding behind a barrier of your precious reiki, _miko_," the Taiyoukai spat venomously.

"Shut up, you dirty mongrel," she retorted. "I could take you on any day. I'm just going easy on you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, is that so?" With a feral grin, he brought forth his youki in a tidal wave of massive energy and crashed it down on the shield.

A growl escaped her petite lips as she strained to keep the barrier strong.

"What is the matter?" taunted Sesshomaru. "Can you not 'take this Sesshomaru on any day'?" He increased the level of youki, and the barrier caved.

Kagome snarled in hatred as she was forced back by the sheer strength of his youki. "Damnation!"

Smirking, he leapt forward and pinned her to the ground with a foot on her throat. He pressed down mercilessly and she let out a strangled sound.

"Geh…off…me…." she choked out, face turning purple from lack of air and rage.

"Why do you not try making this Sesshomaru?"

"Oh, I will!" she snarled, and clamped down on his leg with her arms, forcing as much reiki into it as she could.

His eyes flashed red as he tapped into his inner demon, accessing a huge reservoir of youki. But still, he was hurled backwards. He landed in a crouch on the ground. He looked at the female with new respect. Yes, he had known she was strong, but not this strong…

**Let us see how strong she can get, **sneered his beast, and Sesshomaru agreed. He had found new interest in the human with her display of strength. He gave into the pressuring of his beast and transformed into his true form, a huge silvery white inu. He rumbled with pleasure as he saw the fear and determination in his quarry's eyes.

**Hunt her down. Make her submit, **growled the beast. Sesshomaru couldn't have agreed more. There was just something about this miko that urged him to force her to submit to him as alpha. Maybe it was the strength. It was always enjoyable when the strong bowed down to him, more enjoyable than doing the same with the weak; that was just too easy.

His fanged jaws opened in a toothy grin, and he prepared to pounce…

A howl echoed through the battlefield, matched by a piercing cry. Miko and Taiyoukai alike froze and their heads swiveled to look at their leaders. Kedakai Taisho had given the command to retreat. Midoriko Higurashi had told her forces to withdraw.

Grumbling, reluctant, the soldiers obeyed. This battle was over.

Sesshomaru was furious. **If only he had issued the command a little later, **lamented the beast.

_There will be more chances. _

**Y'think?**

_Yes. Do not worry. The miko __**will**__ submit to us…_

**_Sooner or later_****, **they snarled together.


	2. Enmity

**en·mi·ty**

**ˈenmədē/**

**_noun_**

**the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.**

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CH 2

A full, amber- tinted moon shone down on the snow-dusted mountains. The winter winds howled like a pack of wolves, blowing fresh flakes all around.

At the base of one mountain was a tent of sky blue fabric, luminous in the night for the lamps lit inside. Three women stomped their booted feet in the snow outside, trying to stay warm. One had black hair that went to her shoulders and a yellow strip of cloth tying back her straight bangs. Another had wavy black hair held back with rose-colored clips. The last had dark brown hair that hung choppily around her face and sharp bangs.

A dark-haired woman with deep cobalt eyes sat inside the tent, waiting. Her foot tapped impatiently on the ground, beating out an irritated rhythm.

"Is he coming or not?" she muttered. "In a couple of minutes, he'll be late."

As if her words had triggered something, a familiar howl was heard echoing through the mountains. Midoriko shivered at the sheer…_wildness_ of it. She got up and poked her head through the tent flap. Her eyes widened as a huge silver shape blocked out the moon. It was tailed by several other, smaller figures.

The miko stepped outside fully, hand clenched on her ebony bow. The women outside were fingering their own bows nervously.

"Eri, Ayumi, Yuka, hands off the woods," she said sharply, and they obeyed. "This is a truce."

The mass of silver fur was still high in the sky. As she watched, it hurtled towards the snow, trailing a glowing tail like a comet. Its escort quickly followed suit.

An explosion of snow made Midoriko and her miko turn away, eyes squinted. When she turned back around, a man was standing in the night with three warriors behind him. He was holding a pole in his hand, from which fluttered a white banner that blended into the softly falling snow. She was relieved by the white flag. She hadn't known if he would accept the offer of a truce meeting, or just come to kill her.

"Taiyoukai Kedakai Taisho," she said, and bowed her head. This man she had fought on the battlefield for over five hundred years. They had almost killed each other more than either could count, and knew the other's battle moves like the backs of their own hands.

He mirrored her movement. "Miko Midoriko Higurashi."

They gazed at each other for a few moments before she broke the silence. "Where are my manners? Let us go inside, where it is warm. The soldiers will remain outside."

He nodded curtly and followed her inside. The three miko left outside eyed the equal number of taiyoukai warily, and they did likewise. The reiki-users dearly wanted to purify the demons, and the latter wished they could rip out the priestesses' throats. However, they were mere soldiers and could not disobey their leaders.

They settled for watching each other out of the corners of their eyes.

-oOo-

"Our war has lasted far too long, and the people are suffering on both sides."

Inu no Taisho eyed the young woman. "Then what do you suppose we do?"

Midoriko was silent for several seconds, during which a set of honey-toned eyes glinted impatiently in the candlelight. "Isn't it obvious? I'm proposing an end to the war."

-oOo-

When the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon, bashfully staining the sky in beautiful shades of rose and violet, the negotiations ended.

Midoriko leaned back, tired. "Shake on it?" She offered her hand to Kedakai. He did not raise his hand.

"One last thing, to seal the whole deal." He didn't take his eyes off the miko.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

He grinned, showing his fangs. "Mating. Or, as you humans call it, marriage. No, no, not for _us_," he added with a smirk when her eyebrows shot up. "For our children."

"No." Her face was set, her eyes firm.

"No?" It was Taisho's turn to raise his eyebrow. "Are you saying no to a peaceful end to the war?"

Midoriko sighed. "I'm saying no to dooming one of my daughters to live the rest of her life with a man she detests. None of my daughters are particularly fond of either of your sons, Taisho."

He shrugged. "Likewise. Hell, they've been enemies their whole lives."

"Who will it be—if I agree to this whole shenanigan?"

"Well, nuptial alliances are usually formed between the eldest son and eldest daughter…"

"No," Midoriko said sharply. "In our Clan, the eldest daughter of the leader takes over her mother's position. Kikyo is off-limits."

Taisho grinned. "Kagome it is."

She gaped at the taiyoukai. "Do you have any idea what you are saying? Our children will oppose this mating, or marriage, with all of their power!"

The taiyoukai smirked. "Sesshomaru won't be too happy about having to mate a human, let alone a miko, but he will do as I say. It is Kagome you will have to worry about."

"It can't be Kagome. She _detests_ Sesshomaru. It's a hatred that's far beyond the usual war enmity."

"Truly?"

She nodded. "Yes. She thinks him to be a merciless ice figurine."

"She's not far off the mark," he remarked, and smirked.

They enjoyed a laugh together then stopped abruptly. The two leaders stared at each other and wiped their grins off their faces, embarrassed to have been joking with the enemy.

She studied his face. It could have been carved of stone. And she knew then that it was either take the offer or return to war.

Midoriko buried her face in her hands. What could she do? Her lands were in a state of turmoil. Food was scarce, and many of her people lived in poverty due to the immense taxing effects of the war. Another decade, no, _year_ of this and all that would be left of her lands would be a smoking husk of forgotten greatness. This had to be done. For the good of many. "Fine," came the muffled reply. "But you will have a wild cat on your hands, Taisho. I've always thought it rather lucky there was a war when she was born. Or else she would have spent all her energy trying to take our castle apart."

A brief grin graced their lips, then faded quickly. They raised their inkbrushes back to the scroll that lay on the table before them, and they etched on the paper the Covenant that ended the centuries-old war between the Clans Miko and Taiyoukai.

"And, of course, the wife will bear many children, blah blah blah," said Kedakai, brush poised to record this.

Midoriko's head snapped up, dusky blue eyes flashing. "No," she snapped. "She will bear one heir, as per required for the heir to the throne, and nothing more will be needed of her, unless she consents to it."

Kedakai stared at her exasperatedly. "Ever heard of a husband's rights?"

She glared at him. "I am the head Miko, and I certainly do not have any husbands' right's in my law. At least, not of the sort you are pointing out. She will bear one heir. Period."

The inutaiyoukai could tell that she would not bend, not on this point. _Oh well,_ he thought. _I got what I really wanted anyways._

With the Covenant finished, they headed back outside. The Taiyoukai gathered up his soldiers, and the Miko did likewise. Midoriko turned her back and was stooping down to dismantle the tent when a deep voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You know, Midoriko…I enjoyed fighting you. I'm almost sorry it's all over."

She had been feeling the same way secretly. She looked over her shoulder and smiled softly. "Now that we are somewhat allies…I think friendly sparring matches could be arranged…don't you?"

Inu no Taisho laughed. "I look forward to them."

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**Nooo Midoriko! Don't do this! Hahaha, this story is so fun, and you guys are so amazing! Keep on being, um, amazing! Please review before you go and tell me how you liked this latest addition to Covenant! Oh, and by the way, every chapter will have a vocab word at the top. I added one to the first chapter, so you can go see that. **


	3. Sinister

**I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I knew my schedule (on my profile) showed you guys that I would update yesterday, I completely forgot! Baka! Baka! *bonks herself into the forehead a couple times* Well, gomen! So no, don't get your hopes up, I won't be posting an extra chapter in apology... That will only happen for special occasions! **

**Speaking of special occasions, get your fingers crossed! Updates may be slowing down for the next four months, but I promise it's for a good reason! You know what it is? Find out at the end of this chapter! (but no cheating! Read the chapter, don't just scroll down! :D)**

**sin·is·ter**

**ˈsinistər/**

**_adjective_**

**giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen.**

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CH 3

Sesshomaru stared at his father. He seemed to be conflicted this evening. His eyes were unfocused, and his ponytail swung listlessly.

The heir to the West cleared his throat. Out of politeness he would not ask his father what the matter was, but he would prompt him along wordlessly.

Kedakai Taisho looked up. His sons were staring at him, two pairs of golden eyes watching him carefully. He stifled a grin. It was rather funny, the identical, curious expressions on their faces. But abruptly his amusement vanished as he remembered what he was going to have to say. With every word he spoke, he would be digging into his own grave. "Ah, sons," he said, coughing. He put down his chopsticks. "There is something you two need to be informed of."

Sesshomaru, triumphant, asked "What is it, Father?"

The inu general wanted to hide from his eldest. Or at the very least, retreat to a safe distance. But he cleared his throat. Reminding himself why he had made the decision in the first place, he said, "You may have wondered where I was last night, along with three of my guard."

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. But then I figured maybe you had a booty call or someth-"

Sesshomaru smacked him upside the head with absolutely no change in expression. "Quiet, half-breed. Father?"

Kedakai glared at his youngest son. How dare he suggest such a thing? He loved his mate, thank you very much. He would have to teach him not to suggest such things. But he continued with his confession, wishing to get it over with as soon as possible. "Well, see, I was meeting with Midoriko." He glanced around the table, half expecting his heir to lunge forward and rip out his throat.

Sesshomaru simply nodded. "Continue, please."

The Inu Taisho coughed. "Er, well, you see… We managed to negotiate for peace, and good news, the war is technically over!" He plastered a smile on his face.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "Technically?" he asked sharply. He didn't like the shifty look in his father's eyes. This boded little well for him.

Kedakai coughed yet again. "Um, yes. You see, son," he said, grinning a grin faker than fake. "I found you a mate!" He squeezed his eyes shut, then peeked a single eye open slowly, slowly to see Sesshomaru's reaction.

He was frowning. His amber eyes were practically slits. "Pardon me. Please clarify your last statement." His voice was dangerously low.

His father's shoulders drooped. "Hahaha," he said weakly, not looking the least bit amused, "What did I say again? Okay, okay," he added hastily as his scary eldest son's eyes narrowed even further. "I found you a mate!"

"What does that have to do with ending the war?" asked Inuyasha. But Sesshomaru had already gotten it.

"Am I engaged to one of the Miko?"

Kedakai winced. _This is where the shit hits the fan, _he thought mournfully. "Yes."

Surprisingly, Sesshomaru did not explode in fury. He simply tipped his head to the side. "Who is it?" He had a bad feeling he knew who it was… His father was a cunning old dog and he liked to torment his sons. And what better way to torment Sesshomaru than bind him to- -

"K-Kagome Higurashi."

"Do you jest, Father?" said Sesshomaru, his voice very, very soft. His eyes were wide open now, and they were staining a faint red. "Be very careful of how you answer."

Kedakai blinked. "No… No, no, Sesshomaru. I'm serious," he said weakly. _Tell my mate I loved her._ "You're to be married to her in nine days' time, and then mated soon after."

The shit hit the fan.

Sesshomaru let out a terrible snarl, his eyes now bright red. He seemed to tower over the room itself as he stood up, his shadow masking the table and everyone who sat at it. His claws dug into the expensive wood, the acid dripping from his nails into the mahogany. Fortunately, it had been tempered to withstand youkai poison, a very good thing when one considered the location of said table, but it still sizzled in protest. "I refuse," he growled. "I refuse to mate that weakling."

Inuyasha laughed loud and long, throwing his head back in his raucous mirth. His brother's eyes snapped to him, and the laughter stopped abruptly. Inuyasha scooted his chair closer to his father and, feeling somewhat safer, smirked at his brother. "Congratulations, Sesshomaru," he sneered. "You have my sincere wishes for a happy marriage."

Sesshomaru was speechless. His beast sniggered. **Oooohhh…Toldja we'd have a chance to get her good, **it crooned smugly. **Well, it turns out we get to spend the rest of our life with her! Hahaha!**

Scowling, the eldest Taisho son slammed his fist down on the table. _You will be silent. Do you not realize the graveness of our situation?_

**What's so grave about mating the miko? I mean, then we'd have all the time in the world to make her submit! No more retreat signals to annoy us, neh? No way for her to escape.**

Kedakai realized that he was conversing with his beast, judging by the coloring of his eyes. He needed to turn the tide in his favor. "Son, please," the inu taiyoukai said, pouting. "Look, this war's gotta end! Have you seen the state of our land? It's in ruins! We need this, and you're the key to it all." He didn't mention that the war could've been ended without the marriage, and that it had been his idea. He didn't want a one-way trip to the realm of the dead.

"I cannot accept this," hissed Sesshomaru. "We youkai are supposed to mate with suitable partners!" And he couldn't stand the thought of binding himself to _her. _She was beneath him in every way; stature, heritage, spiritual strength, brute strength, intelligence, and race. She didn't deserve the honor of mating with him.

"What about young Higurashi is unsuitable?" defended Kedakai. "She's everything we look for in a worthy female. She's strong, she's courageous, she's intelligent, she's beautiful, she's got it all! She's even of noble blood."

"You forget the fact that she is human. Worse, a miko."

"Easily put aside. Her powers could easily be sealed away, if it was to your wishes. And it is your duty, Sesshomaru, as heir to a noble family, to mate for political purposes." The General's voice was firm now.

Sesshomaru realized that there was no point arguing with his father when he got like this. He was alpha, and his decision was final. Without a word, he rose and exited the room. He would mate this Higurashi if he had to… But he would make her life a living hell. He smirked darkly at the sinister thought.

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**So there you have it! Sesshy's reaction! Hahahahaha! I wonder what he's planning... *grins evilly* So yeah, what will happen in four months (approximately) is my birthday! Those of you who are following my story Caged Miko might remember what day it is, but yussss. On with the A/N: On my birthday, I'll be posting double, maybe even triple updates of all of my ongoing SesshKag fics! Well, if they're still ongoing then. So that makes Caged Miko, General, Covenant, Blue-Eyed Songbird, and A Petal in Murky Waters. Of course, I don't know if I won't have some of those finished by then, but still! Yes! So don't blame me if updates are a bit slow, I'll be writing my butt off and I'll also be trying to hoard my chapters a bit, at least until that fateful day!**

**And before I go... Some of you sharper ones might have noticed something in this chapter that didn't seem quite right... The first one to notice and review on it will get a special prize! And those of you who've been following my other stories know that my special prizes usually come in the forms of OC features... **

**I've babbled on long enough... So ciao! And tell me how you liked this chapter, mmkay? :D**


	4. Mirth

**HIII GUYSSS! Sorry for the late update! I think I told you guys a couple chapters ago that I had like 7 chapters written up. I do, I do! But the thing is, I wrote all those a long time ago, and I've gotten so much better, so... I will probably be rewriting all those chapters :(**

**Oh, and for those of you who are following me and got an alert saying that I had posted a new story called Yo Broo, it was a FALSE ALARM. My account was hacked into (long story), and what's more important is that it's deleted. But I _do_ have a new story called A Perplexing Fascination. It's about how Sesshy's had this obsession with Kaggy, stalking her and arranging little incidents in which they meet in the most awkward of situations, and then he gets tired of the current level of relationship, and decides to take it a little further. I already have so much support for it! Thanks so much, guys! i heart u!**

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**mirth**

**mərTH/**

**_noun_**

**amusement, especially as expressed in laughter.**

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CH 4

Kagome shouted and thrust out with her palms, and a humming bolt of brightest pink energy shot out, skewering the youki-infused target. The paper sizzled, fire catching on its fragile surface. It trembled violently for a moment, veins of fiery orange snaking across the vanilla white, before exploding like glass into countless little pieces that, in turn, disintegrated to the finest ash. She looked at her handiwork, hands on her hips, satisfied. But Kikyo shook her head.

"No. Your energy should make no sound. Your enemy will hear it and be aware of the threat, and may find a way to defend or avoid the attack. It took far too long to reach the target, which in turn, took far too long to disintegrate."

The youngest Higurashi gritted her teeth, blue eyes flashing as hot as fire. She had thought she had done reasonably well, but no, nothing was ever good enough for her sister. Except for herself, of course. "Then you do it," she suggested in a low voice, "And I'll stand here and bitch about every minute thing you do wrong."

Kikyo smirked at the challenge. "Accepted." Then in a millisecond, from a still, standing position with a docile stance, she leapt forward, slashing her hand through the air. Seemingly simultaneously, a matching gash was ripped open in the paper of a faraway target, and poofed into nothingness. Not a trace of ivory remained.

Kagome scowled at her sister. She had only seen the briefest flash of pink on Kikyo's fingertips. Determined to make something out of it, she said, "I still saw your fingers go pink."

Her older sister narrowed her eyes contemptuously. "At least you couldn't actually _see_ the reiki traveling through the space to the target. Now, that is just pathetic."

"You weren't any better when you were a hundred!" Kagome yelled, frustrated. She stomped her foot, and a jolt of holy energy shook the ground, knocking her off her feet. Kikyo, of course, remained on her feet and sneered down at her.

"Maybe you should stay down there, little sister. That is where you belong. At my feet."

"You bi—" Kagome broke off when she detected a massive aura of youki approaching the palace.

In unison, the Higurashi sisters' heads turned toward the main gates, like hounds on a hunt. "You—"

"Yes," Kikyo tossed over her shoulder, already running toward the aura. Cursing, Kagome followed.

"Is this a desperate, final attack?" she shouted as she ran.

Her sister shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Doesn't make any sense. They would hardly risk a frontal assault on our stronghold with such a small number!"

"Small number? That aura is huge!"

"Little sister," Kikyo scoffed. "Can you not distinguish the separate auras?"

Kagome frowned and didn't answer, devoting her energy instead to doing what Kikyo had specified. She concentrated as hard as she could, taking the huge condensed youki and combing over it for slight differences, trying to see how many single auras made it up. Then she saw it, the answer. There were nine of them. Three were painfully bright, and the remaining six were moderately strong. Of course, only three Taiyoukai could have such massive auras.

Kedakai Taisho.

Inuyasha Taisho.

And _him._

-oOo-

Kagome had caught up to Kikyo by the time they reached the gate. Side by side, the sisters ran up behind their mother. And together, their glares swung to the formation of Taiyoukai standing before them. They weren't attacking, and they didn't even have a white flag! Why weren't the Miko attacking?

"Mother," she said through gritted teeth, unable to stop her palms from glowing pink. "To what do we owe the pleasure of the presence of these…_honored guests?_"

Midoriko, who seemed to be in some kind of staring contest with Kedakai Taisho, said without looking at her daughter, "Perhaps it's better if we discuss this over a cup of tea. Could you do the honors of serving?"

Kagome frowned. "But Mother, you can't invite lifelong enemies to tea! That's just not how it's done! We should be fighting them!" She glared at Sesshomaru, who stood at his father's right shoulder, looking bored and a little smug. He looked right back at her and smirked darkly, his amber eyes flashing malevolently. She jerked backwards at his expression. What the hell was wrong with _him? _What the hell was wrong with everyone? Why wasn't this courtyard an explosion of blades and blood by now?

"Kagome, Kikyo, let's just go inside," said Midoriko tersely. "Taisho and his sons will come too. The rest of you will stay outside. This is a discussion meant for our ears alone, for now."

Kagome couldn't believe it. What was the world coming to? She itched to throw herself at the arrogant Taiyoukai and purify their asses, but she took a deep, deep breath instead. Leveling one last glare at Sesshomaru, she spun on her heel and stalked after her mother.

-oOo-

"You what?" Kagome said blankly, hand faltering as she poured tea for Kedakai Taisho. How she wished she had poison in her sleeves, but alas she hadn't had the foresight to smuggle some in. The Taiyoukai gave her a grateful nod as he reached for his cup. She had to tense in order to keep herself from swatting the steaming liquid into his face.

"Taisho-san and I have negotiated an end to our war."

"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me?" said Kagome, serving her mother next.

"I wanted to tell you and Kikyo just before we read the Covenant." Midoriko didn't mention how that was because she didn't want Kagome to figure out exactly what the end of the war entailed for her before now. "I thought it would be better… If it was like this."

"Um, okay, then." Kagome frowned, knowing what she had to do next. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to move to Sesshomaru and serve him his tea. As she swept back her sleeve to do so, she was aware that his eyes were on her, watching her every move with a very strange look in his eyes. _I repeat. What. The. Hell? He's totally creeping me out!_

"So as soon as we all have our tea, we can begin," said Kedakai with a meaningful look at Kagome, who seemed to be frozen under the scrutiny of his eldest son.

"Right," said the youngest Higurashi daughter sheepishly, snapping out of it. She poured Inuyasha's, Kikyo's, then her own tea in record time and sat down at her place, cupping her tea in her hands and staring down at the fragrant, amber liquid.

Midoriko sipped her tea slowly, not looking forward to the immediate future. Her eyes met Kedakai's over the rim of her teacup, and the look in his eyes gave her her resolve. "So, shall we begin?"

Kedakai nodded curtly.

Midoriko reached to her side and held up a scroll. It had been backed with slats of bamboo, and then the bamboo in turn had been covered with a fine, thick, navy vellum. With an expert twitch of her wrist, she flicked it open, the scroll unfurling to reveal a swath of creamy paper, neat arrays of characters marching across its surface. Glancing around the room, she began to read. "As current leaders of the Clans Miko and Taiyoukai respectively, we, Midoriko Higurashi and Kedakai Taisho, hereby create this Covenant, so that peace may preside between our lands indefinitely. If the terms of this Covenant are violated, then the violator party will be held answerable to the violated party, the specifics of which will be clarified forthwith. The aforesaid terms of this Covenant are as follows:

"One hundred (100) adjacent acres of flat to mildly sloping land from the Taiyoukai Territory, that border the Miko Dominion, will be presented by the former to the latter, who will in return present an equal sum of mountainous or valleyed terrain, or land that is unsuitable for farming and agricultural cultivation, to the Taiyoukai Territory. This is done in hopes that in the action of trading land that is unsuitable for that Clan's needs, but convenient for the other's, the Clans will learn that coexisting is more efficient and overall preferable to strife.

"Any may be granted safe passage through…"

Midoriko's voice droned on, her clear voice rising and falling with a beautiful cadence, not unlike that of the ocean tide. Kagome found herself slipping into a strange trance where she saw, heard, or felt nothing except for her mother, her voice and comforting presence. She stared vacantly into space, her feet growing numb as she sat _seiza._ Eventually, she tuned out the reading of the Covenant and basically everything physical as she floated off to her own dream world.

Sesshomaru saw that his bride-to-be was all but unconscious, her cerulean eyes glazed over like the hard blue candy that filled the cans in sweets shoppes nowadays. He forced down a smirk, for all the world looking like he had zoned out too. But underneath the façade of sinister calm, he was on an evil mind track. This meeting was rather boring, he had to admit, with all this prattle about diplomacy rights and tariffs and whatnot. His face remained as smooth and blank as porcelain as, with his youki, he jabbed the miko in the ribs. The reaction was all and more than he had hoped for.

Kagome leapt up with a half-screech, half-laugh, reiki snapping out like a bird's wings. "You bastard!" she yelled, glaring right at him. "How dare you?"

He stared her down coolly. "Seat yourself, miko." He felt an unholy desire to laugh and squashed it down mercilessly.

"Sit down, Kagome," said Midoriko sharply.

Kagome looked to her mother in disbelief. "But Mother, he tried to tickle me!" she cried, unaware of how ridiculous it sounded.

"Don't be silly," Midoriko growled through gritted teeth. "And sit _down._"

Kagome looked around and realized that all eyes were on her. Midoriko's were full of disapproval, Kikyo's with condescension, Kedakai's with clear interest, Inuyasha's with unbridled mirth, and _his_ eyes were just as cold as usual… albeit with a trace of amusement. That ass was _enjoying_ this? "I'll teach you," she snarled, taking a step towards the tall taiyoukai, who gazed back at her serenely. "I'll teach you to—"

"_Sit._"

The younger Higurashi daughter yelped as thin bonds of bright pink reiki dragged her back and down on her cushion. She glared at her mother. "What was that for?"

Midoriko sighed with exasperation. "Here we are, reading the terms for peace between our Clans in what will become a historical milestone, and then _you_ jump up and start wildly threatening our newly made allies." _And that's __**before**__ she figures out what her role in all of this is,_ thought the head of the Miko Clan morosely.

Kagome bristled. "But I swear, Sesshomaru _stabbed_ me in the ribs!" When everyone (minus Sesshomaru) looked at her disbelievingly, she added, "With his youki."

_I can't believe that we're marrying off who may be the most incompatible couple in history,_ thought Midoriko, mentally sobbing. _Damn you, Kedakai._

Said Taiyoukai was observing the unfolding events with barely hidden glee. This was perfect. Just perfect!

* * *

**I knoooow, people. You wanted Kagome's reaction to the marriage. I was going to have it in here, I swear! And the first version of this chapter did. But as I was rewriting it, the chapter got sooo long that it seemed just _right_ to end it where I did. It would have seemed awkward to slap in another '-oOo-' and you guys know it. Or not. I dunno. But still. I promise the next chapter will have a volcano eruption! :D I hope this was an adequate temporary substitution, though. I'd really appreciate some reviews to help feed my bunny of passion... I heart you guys!**


	5. Oblivious

**Hey guys! It's one day before my birthday, so here's my present! Remember, there will be another present tomorrow, and the day after that, so remember to tune in!**

* * *

**-oOo-**

**ob·liv·i·ous**

**əˈblivēəs/**

**_adjective_**

**not aware of or not concerned about what is happening around one.**

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CH 5

The meeting resumed, albeit with a lower level of focus than before, thanks to the previous… interruptions. Midoriko was almost done with the reading, and she had gotten to the part she had christened The Part.

She cleared her throat after reading the second-to-last section and glanced at Kagome. Said daughter's eyes were shooting daggers at Sesshomaru over her cup of tea. The head Miko sighed and waited for Kagome to pay attention; she did not want to read The Part twice.

It took a while for Kagome to get the hint, mainly because Sesshomaru had engaged her in a staring contest and seemed determined to win, which made _her_ determined to win. Then she noticed her mother had fallen silent, and also that everyone, not just Sesshomauru, damn him, was staring at her.

"What?" she said innocently, reluctantly breaking off eye contact. Midoriko gave her the evil eye, which was totally _not_ fair. "_What?_"

"Please pay attention. I would not like to repeat myself."

"Oh. Sorry," Kagome said, not sounding the least bit sorry. Everything was Sesshomaru's fault, so why should she be?

Midoriko raised her eyebrows, but continued. "The final terms of this Covenant shall be as follows: the son of Kedakai Taisho and daughter of Midoriko Higurashi will be joined in marriage and mating. Sesshomaru Taisho and—"

Kagome burst out laughing.

All eyes turned to her, bewildered, except Kikyo, because she did not know what was in store.

"Kagome?" ventured Midoriko cautiously. Had her daughter gone mad, perhaps? She wondered if that would be better than her figuring out what exactly was going to happen to her.

The young Higurashi was bent over with laughter, her entire body shaking. She slowly raised her head, and it was revealed to the room that her face was red and streaked with tears of mirth. "This… is… priceless!" she choked out between giggles. She slapped her knee, looking like the very picture of insanity. The only thing missing was a straitjacket and bloodshot eyes.

All three Taishos were unnerved by this display. "So you're fine with the marriage, Kagome?" asked Kedakai. He resisted the urge to check whether the sky was falling. This was not what he had been expecting.

Kagome wiped at her eyes. "Of course!" she said, laughter finally dying down. "Why wouldn't I be?" Her cheeks still glistened with tears.

Inuyasha's ears flattened. "But…"

"This has to be the greatest idea ever!" declared Kagome. "The best match ever, definitely!" She turned to Sesshomaru.

Everyone except her was now sweatdropping. Midoriko, Kedakai, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru's minds were racing to connect the dots. Sesshomaru got there first.

"Miko," he said flatly. "Why exactly do you think the match is funny?"

Kagome smirked at him. "Because you and Kikyo are perfect for each other." She turned to her sister. "Congratulations! Your baby will be _wayyyy_ cute! I can't wait to see it!"

Now everyone but Kagome was in the know. And a particular someone was anxious to chop off the 'but Kagome.'

Kikyo stared back at her sister coolly. "I believe those congratulations are not due for me," she said smoothly. "I am not eligible for such a marriage, as I am the heir to the Eastern throne." A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Huh?" The smirk freezing on her face, Kagome turned to Midoriko. "Mother?" Her eyes pleaded with her to tell her that this was not true. "Their babies would have been adorable!"

"Kikyo is right," the older woman said, grimacing. She didn't meet her daughter's eyes. _Might as well get it over with quickly… _"She is not the one marrying Sesshomaru."

Kagome thought it over, her large blue eyes suspiciously tear-free. "Okay," she said calmly. "But why didn't you tell me?"

Midoriko felt a headache coming on. What in the seven layers of hell was wrong with her daughter? "Because I thought that it would be better to tell you this way…"

"You should have told me and Kikyo first!" scolded Kagome. "Bad, bad!" Then her face brightened. "So, who's the guy?"

Midoriko was confused. "What guy?"

Kagome waggled her eyebrows. "You know…" she purred. "_That_ guy. The one you got with after Father went away."

Midoriko was appalled. "What in the world are you _talking_ about it?"

Kagome blinked placidly. "The Covenant said one of your daughters would be marrying Sesshomaru. Can't be Kikyo, can't be me… So you have to have some other guy and some other daughter," she reasoned. "How come you never told me? And who's the daughter? Where is she? Shouldn't she be here?"

Sesshomaru was amazed. He had known she was stupid, but _this_ stupid? "Miko," he drawled. "_You _are engaged to me." He watched her face closely, but was disappointed.

Kagome stuck out her tongue at him in a _nyah-nyah_ gesture. "That's a pathetic joke," she sneered. "Didn't fool me. How about you try your pea-brained brother instead?"

"Hey!" shouted a certain dog-eared individual.

Both of them sent matching smirks to Inuyasha, then resumed glaring at each other. "You are an idiot, miko," decided Sesshomaru.

Kagome's eyes flashed. "Yeah? Funny, because the only thing smaller than your brain is your di—"

"_Kagome!_" yelled a scandalized Midoriko.

Kedakai couldn't stop grinning. A perfect match indeed. But first, the bride-to-be would have to be convinced of her duties. "It's true," he said gently. "Not the bit about the only thing smaller than Sesshomaru's brain is his di—"

"_Kedakai!"_ yelled a scandalized Midoriko.

The great Inu no Taisho cleared his throat, looking flustered. "Ah. Well. As I was saying… Er… It's true. You, Kagome, are marrying Sesshomaru."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Guys, this joke is getting old. Now can we please have my half-sister out here so I can go train some more? There are some techniques I want to try out before I'm five hundred years old, you know. And really, with the rate this meeting is going… "

Sesshomaru thought she was the most thick-headed person he'd ever known, and that was impressive, because he had known Inuyasha for centuries. "You harebrained fool," he said, enunciating each word as clearly as if he were speaking to a child. "Pull your head out of your ass."

"_Sesshomaru!_" yelled a scandalized Midoriko, who was quite tired of being scandalized.

Sesshomaru gave her a bored look, then returned his scathing glare to Kagome. "You. Are. Marrying. Me. Get used to it."

The young miko frowned. This joke was going too far. And since when did Midoriko turn into such a good actor? Her mother could usually never keep together an act for long. And why was everyone in on it?

Sighing, Kikyo decided to be the one to pop Kagome's happy little bubble. "Listen, Kagome. We don't have any half-sisters…at least, none that I know of," she added as an afterthought. "But anyways, you know what this means. I'm being deadly serious here. You know I never joke around."

Kagome stared into her sister's doe brown eyes and saw nothing but complete honesty and maybe a bit of smugness. Poor girl. She was confused. "It's okay," she said soothingly. "You don't have to worry about being an aunt anytime soon, because I am definitely not marrying Sesshomaru. Not in this world or the next. Or the next. Or the next. Or the ne—"

"If you would listen to me," interrupted Midoriko, tiring rapidly of her daughter's stubbornness. "You'd know that you were."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Muh-_ther_. I already told you this was getting old. It's not going to get me, so you might as well give up." She crossed her arms.

Midoriko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "If that's what you think… Listen to this." She grabbed the Covenant and started reading where she had left off. "The final terms of this Covenant shall be as follows: the son of Kedakai Taisho and daughter of Midoriko Higurashi will be joined in marriage and mating. Sesshomaru Taisho and _Kagome Higurashi_ will be married in the Miko Dominion, then will travel to the Taiyoukai Territory to live permanently. They are to be mated and produce a legitimate heir within a year of the reading of this pact. Failure to abide by any of these terms, territorial, diplomatic, connubial, and other negotiation-related, will result in the annulment of the entire Covenant, and peace will be no more." She looked up, a sort of sad triumph in her cobalt eyes.

Kagome blinked, and within that tiny moment, time seemed to stop for Kagome, and the truth wormed its way into her consciousness by degrees. She took in the room and finally noticed how everyone was regarding her; with exasperation, a little bit of amusement, and… pity. She was dumbstruck, reeling from the revelation.

She stared at her mother in horror, the truth finally making its imprint on her consciousness. "No way!" she finally gasped. "I- I- No, that can't be true! Give me that!" She snatched the offered scroll and read the offending section, her eyes flooding with horror. "B-but…" She looked up and saw five pairs of eyes trained on her. Her stomach began to churn, and she felt like throwing up. "Kikyo's a way better choice!" _And the two of them deserve each other._

"Kikyo is, as she said, the heir to the Eastern throne," said Kedakai, pitying the girl. "If she was paired with Sesshomaru, she would have to either abandon her duty and come to our court or merge our countries. The first choice is currently illegal unless she is the only daughter, in which case she is not. The second choice is highly inadvisable, considering the fact that our people were at war until very recently."

"I'll take the throne," Kagome said quickly, her face pale. "I can handle it, Mother."

"The decision is already made," the elder miko said firmly.

"Y-you didn't give _me_ a choice!" the young miko yelled. "I'd rather marry _Hojo_ than Sesshomaru! At least that guy has a heart! You can't force me to marry someone if I don't want to!"

"Yes, I can," said Midoriko, hating herself for the words that were spilling from her mouth. "And I will. I already have."

"No!" Kagome shouted, her voice trembling with fury and fear. Her pupils shrank to mere dots, surrounded by the icy blue flames of her irises.

"This Sesshomaru is not overly pleased about this situation in any case, miko," the taiyoukai broke in frostily, "But do you see me reacting as childishly and immaturely?"

"Keep out of this!" Kagome raged. "You don't have barely any bad come out of this for you, _unlike me!_" Her eyes burned as if a candle were being held just before them.

"I do not wish for a miko to bear my heir," Sesshomaru said coolly, the very picture of calm. "There is only a fifty-fifty chance of the child being taiyoukai. But I am dealing with it."

Kagome was in a world of darkness where there was no light, no hope, no joy.

_Bear…his…heir…?_

The awful words echoed in her head, and she could see her whole life ahead of her. Forced to lie with a man whose heart had long since frozen over. A man who would never love her. A man she had faced in battle since she was of age, fifteen. That was a hundred years she had fought him, give or take a couple decades. They'd fucking tried to _kill_ each other! How was that the basis for any kind of friendly relationship? They'd practically have to watch their backs for fear of a knife, their food in fear of poison.

"Look," she said, trying to keep her voice from rising in hysteria. "This can't be right. I get that maybe Kikyo can't do the whole marriage thing. Laws and everything. But why Sesshomaru? Why not Inuyasha? Not that he's any better, but still. And while we're on the topic of why's, why does there have to be a marriage in the first place? Aren't the land negotiations and trade treaties enough?"

"Those can be nulled in a heartbeat. A binding of the souls cannot. Both countries must respect that. And you know that the male heirs of any country are expected to marry for their land's benefit." Midoriko looked away, wishing she had something to do with her hands. She took her teacup, warming her cold fingers. "On the bright side, all you need to do is give Sesshomaru his heir and maintain the title of Lady. Other than that, you would have complete freed—"

"Oh, is that _all_?_" _Kagome broke in. "Give the guy whose guts I hate a kid, pretend to be his wife, and everything will be alright?" Although her tone was harsh and mocking, her eyes shone with unshed tears. She hated that she was breaking down in front of an audience, but she couldn't hold back the torrent of words that rushed from her mouth like vomit. "Has it occurred to you that after we get married, Sesshomaru can still have other romances? Hell, he can have as many wives as he wants! And me—" She choked back a sob. "I can never love anyone, because that would brand me as a—!" She sank to her knees, trembling, head lowered. Her vision blurred, and when it cleared, she saw a splotch of wetness on the floor. She felt so alone, although there were plenty of other people in the room. How could they shove this burden onto her shoulders? Her eyes widened as a pair of burly, armored arms wrapped around her, and to her surprise, she realized they were Kedakai's.

"I'm sorry," he murmured gently. "But don't you see this had to be done? Think. By sacrificing yourself, you're saving hundreds, even thousands of people from both our lands from ruin and devastation." He patted her back awkwardly.

Kagome stiffened at his touch and backed out of his arms, her skin crawling. "Don't touch me, Taiyoukai," she spat, rising to her feet, struggling to rein in her wildly fluctuating aura.

"You better get used to it," drawled Inuyasha, who was as usual socially inept. He stuck his arms in his sleeves and turned his head to the side with a decidedly smug expression. "If what you hate is Taiyoukai touching you."

Kagome felt her entire face tighten at his words. Slowly, she turned to face him, a murderous look burning in her eyes. "You bastard!" Her cheeks coloring with rage, she lunged towards him, determined to fry his ears.

"Enough!" yelled Midoriko. She sent out a wave of her reiki through the room, and everyone turned to look at her. "It's clear that this meeting should be adjourned. We should continue talking—"

"After dinner?" broke in Kedakai hopefully.

Midoriko eyed him warily. "Did you just invite yourself over for dinner?"

The inutaiyoukai fidgeted. "Well…er…"

She sighed. "I guess you're invited," she surrendered. "You and your sons. The cooks will need to be told about this change in plans. It'll take her at least two hours to whip up anything worth company."  
"Excellent. Just enough time to get ready."

She frowned. "What in the world would you need to do that would take two hours?"

Inu no Taisho pouted. "A man can't look this perfect without a _little_ prep time."

"I'm not even going to answer that."

"Technically, you just did."

Ignoring him, Midoriko suggested, "Let us depart, then meet again at the dining hall for dinner in two hours."

"Fine be me," put in Kagome, her eyes narrowing to slits. All traces of tears were gone from her face; all that was left was pale rage and cold calculation. She spun on her heel and walked away, her mind consumed with plotting.

Exchanging glances, the remaining people in the room left, none perhaps so dramatically as Kagome.

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**Ahhh, that went over like shit in a salad bowl o.O What do you reckon Kags is going to do? I'd appreciate it if you guys could leave a review in the box before you go. Writers live for feedback! :)**


	6. Advice

**This chapter's a bit shorter than normal, I think, but I'm depressed because I have to rewrite all of this. A couple months ago, my entire USB crashed, so all my fanfics were lost because lazy me didn't back them up. Needless to say, I am now using Google Docs. So enjoy!**

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**ad·vice**

**ədˈvīs/**

**_noun_**

**guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative.**

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CH 6

Kagome stormed into her room and made straight for her dresser. She yanked open a drawer and began rifling through it quickly. Ah yes, here it was; the emergency pack that all Miko had in case they had to make a quick getaway from the Palace. It was meant in case of a Taiyoukai raid, but a forced marriage would do. She opened it and did a quick inventory of its contents. Water crystals, dried meat and fruits, a pencil and paper, etc. Yup, everything was there. She slid the lightweight bag down the back of her yukata and secured it with a retying of her sash.

Casting one last look around her chambers, she slipped out the window.

-oOo-

"Going somewhere?"

Kagome spun around, her horse's reins clutched tightly in her hands. It was Inuyasha; he was leaning against the doorway of the stall, grinning. Why hadn't she sensed him? For that matter, the horse should have sensed him too; they were trained to have that handy ability. She dismissed it quickly; there was a more serious problem at hand. She had been caught in the act. Should she lie?

"It's none of your business," she said coldly, turning back to her horse, who was tossing its head from side to side in nervousness from the Taiyoukai's presence. She made a split-second decision. "But I'll tell you anyways. I'm getting out of here." She had no idea why she was telling him the truth; maybe she just didn't feel like lying.

He chuckled. "Man, you're just making things worse for yourself. I thought you were smarter than this."

"Hmm, being mated to a sadistic ice statue whose guts I hate, having sex with him, and having his frickin' _baby_! I can't see how that could get _any_ worse, Taiyoukai."

Inuyasha laughed. "Oh, trust me, _Miko_, when Sesshomaru finds you- -which he will, trust me- -you're going to wish you had stayed home like a good little mate."

"That scenario in which you described Sesshomaru finding me will never happen; none of you are ever going to see me again. I'm going to disappear. Thoroughly." She finished saddling her horse and began to lead it out of the stall, but was prevented by the Taiyoukai, who would not budge. "Move," she said in a low voice, fully prepared to blast him into oblivion.

He didn't move an inch. "With that attitude of yours, none of us _will_ see you again. Sesshomaru will chain you up in the dungeon and never let you see the light of day- -or another living soul- -ever again."

"Again; that scenario is illegitimate. Now, do I have to blast you outta my way?" Kagome sneered, not even bothering to hide the fact that the idea of Sesshomaru controlling her like that filled her with fury.

The bastard had the nerve to laugh, again. "Don't worry, I'll let you pass- -but first, I'm going to give you some advice, because I'm just nice that way."

"I'm all ears," she said through gritted teeth, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"We may be Taiyoukai, the strongest of all youkai, but in the end we're beasts- -wild and primal. Sesshomaru _will_ hunt you down, because he's a dog. He'll enjoy the chase, and by the time he's caught up to you, it'll have roused his bloodlust. He's going to thrill in forcing you into struggle. And the more you struggle, the harsher he will be, the crueler he will be punishing you. He'll give you a beating like you've never received before. It'll be worse than the other times you've fought him, because one: no one will be backing you up, and two: back then, it was only a fight on the battlefield. He'll see this as bringing his mate into line, and believe it or not, that makes him more vicious. It's his right to demand submission, because by youkai rule, the female must always show the greatest of deference to her mate. Your mother won't be able to do a thing, beside helping to subdue you in an effort to save you some pain. Unless you do a 180 degree turnaround and accept your circumstances, life's gonna be hell for you. Beatings don't even scratch the surface of what youkai do to defiant mates. And that's with normal youkai; Sesshomaru's a vicious bastard, and you do not want to be on the receiving end of his- -"

"Shut up!" Kagome interrupted, her stomach clenching at the thought of the future Inuyasha had so kindly described to her. "None of that matters. He. Will. Never. Catch. Me. Now get outta my way."

He shook his head, smirking. "Well, at least I can say I tried. Oh, and one last tip; you would do best to go on foot, if you want the best chance of eluding him, although it'll make it all the worse in the end."

Kagome glanced at the horse uncertainly. "Yeah? How do I know you're not trying to sabotage me?"

"Because the icy bastard has everything too easy. I'm selfish, so I want you to lead him on a merry chase. It'll be fun for me. And if you're willing to take hell for it… I'm not stopping you. And the horse will be too easy to track, and though it has speed and endurance, you won't be able to maneuver it very well through thick forest. Plus, as a Miko, you should be pretty fast and hardy yourself."

Kagome realized he was right, and began to undo the horse's straps, then gave up. "Can you put it away… please?" she asked, adding the last word grudgingly. "I've already wasted too much time."

"Yeah, sure," he said, grabbing the reins from her. The horse, trained to fear Taiyoukai, tried to rear up, but Kagome calmed it down with a stroke of its nose. "And no worries, I won't tell anyone where you've gone. I'll give you the best head start that I can."

She gave him a reluctant nod. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me," said Inuyasha. "I'm telling you, I'm doing this for my own selfish reasons; I'm really not helping you at all. You're going to pay for all this later in blood."

She rolled her eyes, giving up on convincing the idiot that Sesshomaru wouldn't catch her. "I still appreciate it, so accept my gratitude already, Taiyoukai."

"You're welcome," grumbled Inuyasha. "But you're going to be cursing me name when Sesshomaru's beating the shit outta you. Or maybe you'll be too busy screaming and begging him to stop."

Kagome seriously considered purifying him, then decided to save her energy… just in case there was a confrontation. She walked out of the stables, her head still filled with the gruesome images Inuyasha had supplied. Her heart steeled. She would run, and she wouldn't stop until she was safe from that evil, heartless monster's clutches.

She would be free.

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**Please review before you go, and remember there's a poll on my profile over which of my stories you like the best. I'll use the results to prioritize my writing, so don't forget to cast your vote!**


	7. Inferno

**in·fer·no**

**inˈfərnō/**

**_noun_**

**1\. ****a large fire that is dangerously out of control.**

**2\. ****hell (with reference to Dante's _Divine Comedy_ ).**

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CH 7

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Her feet pounded on the forest floor in a relentless rhythm, interrupted only for the occasional hurdle or sidestep. The surface of her skin was slick with sweat, and her breath came in evenly timed bursts.

Left.

Right.

She kept her aura tightly reined in, so as to avoid detection for as long as possible, but from time to time she cast it out in an effort to maintain an overall knowledge of the surrounding terrain. She avoided rivers and streams whenever possible. For her current route south, it proved easy to do so; the Grayrose River flowed south as well so she was able to flank it during her journey, taking only the occasional detour to avoid villages.

Left.

Right.

She ducked under an overhanging branch without breaking rhythm.

Left.

Right.

With her body set into a numbing routine, her mind began to wander, and inevitably it focused on the awful events of the day. How could her mother betray her like that?

Left.

Right.

How could she offer her daughter up for marriage with their lifelong enemies? Didn't she know that Kagome would be forced into submission? Didn't she know that Sesshomaru would abuse her?

Left.

Right.

Wasn't the Miko culture built on the strength of women? How could her mother give her own daughter away to a life where she would be reduced to nothing more than a possession? She shook her head and felt a droplet of sweat roll down the straight slope of her nose.

Kagome wanted to rest for a while. She was burning her scent trail behind her as she went, which took more energy than one would expect. But it was necessary, what with Sesshomaru being an inu. Stupid dog. Why couldn't he be a gopher youkai or something instead? She snorted, then struggled to regain her regular breathing rhythm. Sesshomaru, anything else than an inu Taiyoukai? Ha, no. He'd always be an arrogant dog.

Left.

Right.

Was that a rock? Sidestep.

Left.

Right.

Noticing that it was starting to get dark, Kagome decided to light the path in front of her with a reiki orb. It was tiny, and she was far enough from any civilization that no one would be able to sense it… not even her mother, who was the most powerful Miko in recorded history. Without breaking pace, she concentrated, calling her Miko training to mind, and a small ball of tightly condensed pink light formed at her fingertips, then detached to float slightly above her and some distance ahead, emitting a rosy light. It remained at that steady distance as she ran, lighting her path to freedom.

.

.

.

-oOo-

.

.

.

Dinner had started half an hour ago, and the large table in the spacious dining room of the Miko's Palace had an empty chair.

"She's still in her room," Midoriko sighed, not even bothering to pretend to pick at her soup. She set down her spoon delicately. "Kikyo, would you please fetch your sister?"

"Yes, Mother." Kikyo rose from her chair and left the room to do the Head Miko's bidding.

Sesshomaru watched the elder Higurashi daughter with flat golden eyes. If only she were the younger, he mused languidly. From what he could see, this one was much more fit to be his mate; more powerful, more beautiful, and most important of all, more submissive. Well, he wasn't being completely fair. She was more skilled and knowledgeable in battle, yes, but that was only because she was several centuries older than her little sister. From what he had observed during combat, Kagome actually had a much bigger reservoir of reiki, that if cultivated correctly, could make her infinitely more powerful that Kikyo; one reason why he always went after Kagome during battle, leaving the older miko to Inuyasha. Another reason was… Dismissing the thought, Sesshomaru picked delicately at his leg of lamb. It was tender and well-seasoned, and its juices would have dribbled down a messier eater's chin. Delicious; much better than the cooking in Taiyoukai Territory in his opinion. But then youkai cared more about red, hot sustenance than the finer points of cuisine. Humans were different. Perhaps his future mate would care to improve the table at her new home?

Sesshomaru cast out his youki in the direction where Kikyo had left. Yes, he could still feel Kagome's aura, dim but present nevertheless. Strange. He had expected her to run. He flexed his claws before reaching for his chopsticks again, cracking his knuckles. He had looked forward to chasing her down, but it seemed it was not to be. Perhaps the girl was not as stupid as he had thought. _Shame_, he thought. Now that the war was over, he would have little opportunity to slake his lust for blood

His beast was unhappy, pacing inside its cage. He knew it had been looking forward to the chase as well; it was more vicious and bloodthirsty than any other Taiyoukai's in living memory, which was saying rather a lot, something that gained him both respect and fear in the youkai community.

_Be calm_, he told it. _No doubt there will be another opportunity to shed her blood soon, knowing her disobedience._

**But I want her blood **_**now**_**. I want her **_**bleeding**_ **at our feet, the mark of our claws clear on her tattered skin, and her throat bared in submission to **_**us**_**. **Roused by its own morbid desires, it threw itself against the door of its cage, rattling the bars.

Sesshomaru growled inwardly while appearing unmoved outwardly, forcing his dominance over his own darker, more bestial side. Keeping such a malicious beast in confinement was a feat he doubted any other Taiyoukai could accomplish, not even his father. He was getting stronger by the day, and soon he would challenge the Inu no Taisho for the title of Supreme Alpha.

Aiming a dark gaze at his sire, Sesshomaru chewed on a morsel of lamb, his sharp fangs tearing through the soft meat with little resistance. His father looked up, and two pairs of golden eyes met. The alphas silently acknowledged each other's strength, then turned back to their meals. It may be noted that Inuyasha was left out of the exchange.

Sesshomaru had polished off half of his leg of meat and was well on his way through the rest when Kikyo came back into the room, her face even paler than usual. His eyes narrowed; his mate-to-be was nowhere in sight. What was this?

"Where is your sister, Miko?" he asked.

At the same time, Midoriko said, "Where's Kagome?"

"She's gone," said Kikyo hollowly.

"What do you mean?" sneered Inuyasha. "Her aura is still in her room, stupid. She's probably hiding in her closet." His eyes flickered just for a moment, but Sesshomaru caught the movement and was immediately suspicious.

Kikyo glared at the youngest Taiyoukai in the room. "Do you take me for an idiot?" She turned to her mother. "Her aura is a fake. A doll infused with her reiki signature was left on her bed. It fooled all of us. While we were sitting at dinner waiting for her to show, she was getting further away all the time. Because we could sense the decoy, we completely looked over the possibility of her aura signature actually being somewhere else."

Midoriko rose to her feet, her face taut with worry, and a little confusion. "But that decoy technique is advanced, and Kagome has not learned it yet."

"Someone must have helped her," said Kikyo. "But we can find out who later. We must find her; it is imperative to this fledgling peace."

Sesshomaru's beast was snarling with excitement. **Yes! We can punish her all we like! **It was practically twisting itself in knots.

_Indeed_, he purred. Standing up, he addressed the ruling families of the Miko and Taiyoukai. "I will track her down."

Kedakai cast him a worried glance. "I think it's best if you stay, Sesshomaru. Inuyasha or I can go."

"No," Sesshomaru insisted. "She will be my mate; her disciplining starts now."

"_Disciplining?_" Midoriko repeated incredulously. "Pup, I entrusted my daughter's future to you in the understanding that you two were to be equals. She is not a pet or a possession!"

Ignoring the Head Miko, Sesshomaru easily leapt up a hundred feet to perch on a windowsill high above the floor. "I will return by sunrise," he drawled, and his legs were poised to spring when a tendril of reiki whipped around his ankle and dragged him back to ground level none too gently. Eyes slanted in anger, he spun around to find himself face to face with Midoriko. Her dark blue eyes were burning with a fire he had never seen in them before, not even in the heat of battle.

"Pup, you are sorely mistaken if you believe I will allow you to treat my daughter like that," she spat. "And hearing what you said just now, I am of half a mind to call off the mating."

"Call off the mating and you call off the entire Covenant," said Sesshomaru, trying to eject her reiki from his person to no avail. It seemed she was more powerful than she seemed. But then she would have to be, to have fought his sire for these centuries. "And we will return to war, _woman_." He raised his hand threateningly, his claws glowing green, and she held up pink-haloed hands in return. The light from their powers reflected off their grim faces.

Kedakai leapt up from the table, leaving Inuyasha still stuffing his face, and sprang in between them, his hands raised in a conciliatory manner. "Let's talk about this," he said soothingly, assuming the role of peacemaker.

"The longer we talk, the further away the girl slips," sneered Sesshomaru. "Talk to the Miko if you please, Father, but I will go after the girl." Calling on his beast's vicious power, he managed to break Midoriko's hold. However, he did not move to leave.

Midoriko was furious, that much was obvious. "Kikyo, go find your sister."

"Stay," snapped Sesshomaru with such authority in his voice that the Miko hesitated, unsure of whom to obey. "_I_ will fetch the girl."

"Her name is Kagome!" shouted Midoriko. "If you cannot even call her by name, you are not fit to find her. And as for _marrying _her, I will find a way to circumvent that without annulling the Covenant if your behavior continues! Kikyo, go _now!_"

"_Stay!"_

Kikyo wavered, then began to run towards the door after shooting him a dirty look. Growling, Sesshomaru held her back with his youki. She turned on him with a yell, and the dining room erupted into chaos.

Sensing the upset auras of their leaders, guards from both sides rushed in to join the fight. The room blazed with multicolored lights as Miko and Taiyoukai abandoned the peace.

Kikyo was fighting Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha and the Taiyoukai guards were locked in combat with several Miko soldiers. Midoriko and Kedakai faced off against each other, their bodies glowing with their respective energies. They were in defensive stances, yet neither of them made to attack. Slowly they circled each other, their eyes locked in a deadly stare. All the while around them, their underlings fought with savage fury.

Kikyo lashed out with a glowing hand and threw Sesshomaru back several meters with the force of her energy. But in less than a second he was back, tackling her onto her back.

Inuyasha hacked at Eri and Yuka with his giant sword, giving them each several wounds. He roared in pain when Ayumi stabbed him from behind with a reiki-infused dagger. His youki exploded out around his body in an agitated red burst, hurling the three Miko backwards. But they landed on their feet and darted forward again, circling him like wary she-cats around a wounded dog.

All around the room, blades met and flesh tore and bone cracked.

"Go on, attack me," Midoriko dared, every line of her body drawn with tension.

"What's holding you back?" he taunted.

Her eyes flashed. "I'll not be the first leader to break the peace," she said gravely.

He stared at her and faint shame registered slowly in his eyes. He slowly straightened up. "Nor I," he said gravely.

Understanding passed between them, and together they flared out their auras, silently reprimanding their soldiers. Slowly the sounds of battle ceased, and the only noise came from ragged breathing.

"We should all be ashamed of ourselves," said Midoriko sharply. "Here we stand at the cusp of a new era, and we risk a dangerous step backwards; a step that could cost countless lives from both our lands." She took a deep breath. "Now, let's all be civilized about this. Kagome is missing, and we can only assume she ran away. Eri, alert the city watch immediately. Yuka, put together a retrieval squad immediately. You will lead it. Make sure you have experienced trackers and reiki locators, and that they're all fast."

"There is no need," said Sesshomaru smoothly, who did not look as if he had been locked in furious combat less than a minute ago. Every silvery strand of hair was in place, and his flowing white silks hung just right, as opposed to the dishevelled appearances of everyone else who had been fighting. "I assure you, I alone could easily outpace a team of _Miko_."

Midoriko stared him down, determined not to get into another fight with him. "It's already been decided. You would be unnecessarily… _brutal_ with Kagome. I cannot allow you to go."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Think, Miko. She has had a head start of hours. A team of Miko will not be able to catch up with her; your speeds are too similar for you to gain much on her. However, the speed of a Taiyoukai will ensure that she is caught and brought back before dawn."

Midoriko couldn't argue with this logic. "Then I'm coming with you."

He threw her a scathing look. "Did you not hear what I just said? You will not be able to keep up with me."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," said Midoriko firmly. "I want someone close to Kagome to keep an eye on you. We may be at peace now, but that doesn't mean I trust you."

He eyed her carefully. "Very well. I offer you a deal. I will go alone, and I give you my word that I will hold back as much as possible, and that I will not harm her at all... unless she insists on a fight."

She stared at him, carefully weighing her options. It was true that if she went with Sesshomaru, they would be slower. And speed was of the essence here. She made up her mind. "I will hold you to your word, Sesshomaru." She held his eyes levelly, letting her aura emphasize the underlying threat. With a deep breath, she stepped back.

.

.

.

-oOo-

.

.

.

The muscles in her legs were starting to burn. Sure, she had been conditioned for this kind of thing, and her body was naturally superior to that of a human thanks to her Miko heritage, but she had been running at a near sprint nonstop for hours. Her chest was heaving and her lungs were working overtime. She had decided not to warm the air around her to conserve energy, and now her throat was aching from the cold air she was gasping in.

_Any more of this and my blood will freeze_.

She wondered if it would be better to heat the air, then dismissed the idea. If Sesshomaru came for her, she would be ready.

As if the thought had triggered something far away, Kagome felt an immense pulse of energy travel across the land. She gasped as she realized the ground was shaking slightly. She could even hear a slight buzz in the air, the broadcast had been so powerful. The youki had buffeted against her body, and somehow she knew that he now knew exactly where he was… and that he was coming. For her.

She swallowed hard, then her eyes hardened as she came to a decision. Panting lightly, she stopped running and leaned against a nearby tree for support as she stretched her calves. She would wait for him. That way, he would be tired from his travel and she, refreshed from a good couple hours' rest. After all, there was no sense in running further; confrontation was now inevitable, and it was only logical to be as prepared for it as she could be.

She leaned back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes, waiting.

.

.

.

He didn't take very long. It wasn't quite two hours before he appeared, a silent white ghost who emerged from among the trees with agonizing slowness, like a hunter stalking its prey.

Kagome pushed herself away from the tree slowly and crossed her arms. "Sesshomaru."

"You are a cowardly fool," he said flatly. "You refuse to see the resounding impacts of your decisions. That is why you could never be the leader of the Miko. That is why your mother chose to trade you away to me."

That stung a little bit, but she brushed it off. She wasn't going to let herself get distracted. She took a deep breath. "Look, Sesshomaru, I know you don't want us to be mated. For youkai, there must be complete trust between mates, and it must be awful for you to have to take someone who you see as an enemy as yours. I don't want this either, obviously. This peace thing can work without us being mates. It's an unnecessary component of the plan that will only bring on misery upon all involved. It's obvious our parents aren't going to change their minds. So you have to step aside. We basically live forever. Over time, they'll cool down, and I'll return. But until then, I'll travel and train. And you can mate the demoness of your dreams. Please, think logically." She paused, hoping she'd gotten through.

As if.

Sesshomaru's eyes glinted mockingly. "Your ignorance truly show your years. Do you believe the Miko and Taiyoukai have never had peace treaties before? There have been countless, fool. Over time, they rotted away so that the adversaries were free to snap at each other again. Without the mating, this Covenant will be no different from the others. But by the progeny of the head family of each Clan mating, it will cement a bond that all will be hesitant to test. Now, I will only offer once. Let us return to your Palace, and put this idiocy behind us."

"No," said Kagome quietly. "The thing is, Sesshomaru, for Miko, marriage is sacred. You choose the one who you love with all your heart, and both enter the marriage pure and faithful. That is how I was raised. I will not marry someone who I could not trust. To give you all I am, to have a child with you, will require love and trust, among other factors- which we do not share. I ask you to let me go, for both of our happinesses."

Slowly, Sesshomaru shook his head. "No. I can see how your human feelings would affect your judgement. However, as someone in line for the seat of leader, you must understand the importance and necessity of sacrifice. It is for the good of your people and mine that we offer our happinesses up to the void. Besides, this Sesshomaru does not believe it will be as bad as you say. After the mating and marriage, after the first night, if it goes well, we need not concern ourselves with intimacy. No, you will not be able to take another lover, but contrary to your beliefs, neither will I. But we can lead separate lives. We will be able to make up an excuse for the child's sake, unless we want to expose him to the truth, or play happy family for him. It will not be so bad, Kagome.

"I came here prepared to make you bleed. My beast demands it even now as I talk to you. However, I have been thinking on your situation, and I believe that you have had a normal reaction considering you are barely a century old. You have not yet learned the foresight and suffering required of a leader figure, and I forgive you for your actions- but we must return now."

Finished, he stared at her expectantly.

Kagome bit her lip. He was being nicer than she thought he would. It certainly made it harder to go off on a yelling spree. And he certainly brought up excellent points; it was quite convincing.

But…

"I deserve my own happiness, Sesshomaru. You have been groomed your entire life to be the leader of the Taiyoukai. But for me, much was never expected. I grew up thinking I could make my own choices, that it was Kikyo who had to shoulder the heavy mantle of Head. And now, this sudden thing… just today, I learned of the Covenant. It's like a wild hawk being told to fly into a cage. I can't, Sesshomaru." Seeing his stony face, she hastened to say, "That's why I have a solution. I suggest a deal. We fight. No holds barred save death and permanent injury. Both hand-to-hand fighting and manipulation of body energy. Whoever wins gets to decide what to do."

"Stop this," rumbled Sesshomaru. "I will not stake the future of our two Clans on a fight. Cease this immaturity and face the inevitable."

She shook her head, smiling a little. "Don't you get it, Sesshomaru? I want to feel like I have a handle on my own future. You have me convinced. I'm a selfish brat who can't see past her own nose. But I don't want to just go back with you, all tame and compliant. I want this… in my eyes, it's fair and square."

He raised a brow. "If it will make you feel better, then I can defeat you thoroughly. Is that what you want?"

"No. A fair fight. I won't be holding anything back, so don't you do it either. Besides killing or maiming, of course. So keep an eye on those poison claws." Resignedly, she slid into a defensive position. "Go on."

Sesshomaru shrugged. "As you wish." He blinked, and that was the only warning Kagome had before he was suddenly two feet away from her, bringing down his sword on her head.

She immediately leapt backwards, expelling reiki from her palms to both attack Sesshomaru and propel herself more quickly. As expected, he knocked away the streaks of pink energy easily with his youki-infused sword. But she was already high in the air, and she managed to bring her foot crashing down on his head before he grabbed her ankle and slammed her into the ground. She was up in an instant, dancing backwards as the ground where she had been lying was destroyed by a single strike of his demonic sword. After a flip to regain her balance, she ran forward, drawing her own sword, and engaged him with a cry.

So many battles they had fought, that they knew each other strike for strike, parry for parry. This was less of a fight than an elaborate dance. The forest echoed with the clashes of their swords, until Sesshomaru broke his pattern and managed to kick Kagome solidly in the stomach. She crashed into a tree and collapsed by its roots, unable to breathe. In an instant, Sesshomaru was snatching her up by the throat, slamming her against the trunk.

"I win," he told her, knowing she would fight on. And fight she did.

Her lungs still struggling for air, she choked out a snarl and threw Sesshomaru back a clear one hundred meters with an impressive show of reiki.

He was pleasantly surprised by this, as this was the strongest she had ever been.

_**More**__, _panted his soul youkai. _**I want more. **_

He smirked. _Indeed. Perhaps it is time we show our true colors. _Egged on by the triumphant howling of his beast, he released the lock on the cage.

An explosion of youki rocked the entire vicinity, setting several trees ablaze and snapping others in half. From the haze leapt forward a hazy white blur with burning red eyes.

Kagome's heart jumped at the sight of those fiery, crimson eyes. Those jagged markings, framed by silver hair the color of the moon. _Stars… he's beautiful_, she thought. Then she was screaming as Sesshomaru barrelled into her, attacking her with a viciousness that was terrifying. First, a solid punch to her stomach (another one!) that left her doubled over, followed by a kick that sent her sprawling back. Then he flung her into the air, and slammed her back down even harder with a wave of youki. Then he threw her into a tree and, with her in a corner, he started beating down on her hard, striking specific points on her body where it would hurt the most. He punched the side of her face, then grabbed her shoulders and slammed her hard into the tree.

She screamed, and, blind with pain and fury, grasped his wrists in an iron hold and started channeling her reiki into his body as ferociously as she could.

Then it was his turn to roar as his flesh sizzled and burned, as his body struggled to battle back the reiki. Elongated fangs gritted in a savage snarl, he summoned his formidable well of youki, and brought it up against her reiki.

And they cried out into the night together as their powers exploded in a blaze of blinding white light.

The aftershock raced through the entire land, spilling cups of water and knocking over vases and making fires lick higher into the sky. Midoriko felt it, Kedakai felt it, everyone felt it as they paced restlessly in the Palace, awaiting the return of the Miko and Taiyoukai. It awed them, for they could sense that the conflict was leagues away, yet the candles here flickered wildly and the fireplace roared with vigor as the enchanted flames responded to the fluctuating aura of their young mistress. Midoriko was worried for what it could mean for her daughter, while Kedakai was more gleeful, fancying himself a successful matchmaker. Kikyo simply smiled, and Inuyasha's jaw was hanging.

Back in the forest, the light was blinding for a full five minutes, and then it slowly started to fade, revealing a vast spread of cleared land. At the center of the destruction, two prone figures in the huge space, were Kagome and Sesshomaru.

Lying parallel to each other, but heads and feet pointing in opposite directions, they tried to collect their thoughts. Their heads side by side, their hair clouding around their shoulders, they stared up into the dark sky, where elegant spirals of their spiritual energy danced, pink and green intertwining to make a pure, brilliant white.

And for a long while, they said nothing.

* * *

**You guys don't give Kagome enough credit, I think, haha. After last chapter, y'all were complaining about Sesshomaru was going to beat up Kagome and stuff. Like, she's pretty powerful too! But then again, I did imply he was going to destroy her... But still! **

**Please review, it makes me so happy! And a happy author means more keyboard action!**

**Cheers!**

**Philosophy Blue**

**p.s. I promise guys, I'll try not to make you wait nine months for an update... -_-**


	8. Wedding

**wed·ding**

**ˈwediNG/**

**_noun_**

**a marriage ceremony, especially considered as including the associated celebrations.**

**-oOo-**

* * *

When they finally returned, it was well into midday, for they hadn't gotten the energy to rise from the ground for many hours after the huge explosion of spirit energy. They walked painfully but determinedly into the palace, looking as if they had rolled through a war zone. Everyone gawked, some more subtly than others, but in the end all were studiously ignored as the injured parties shut themselves into their respective quarters for some much needed rest.

Downstairs, Midoriko sat trying to fight a smile next to an openly laughing Kedakai. She had been alarmed and angry when she saw her daughter, ragged and bruised, but the sight of Sesshomaru looking just as bad, if not worse, had calmed her down. It seemed Kagome had given as good as she had gotten, and for that she was glad, although she was furious at the younger Miko for shirking her duties. And from what she had seen, Kagome hadn't seemed very sullen, which led her to hope that she had reconciled to the inevitable. And it was the inevitable indeed, for the wedding was set to be in a fortnight. Midoriko and Kedakai had adjusted the date to accommodate the time required to send the invitations out, receive guests into the ground, and of course, to prepare for the ceremony. Never before had such a match been made, and both parents were set on making history. So the finest goods were called for, scrounged from the far corners of each land where the effects of war had been least devastating. Kedakai had promised Sesshomaru's compliance during the ceremony with the traditions of the Miko-as femininely skewed as they were. After all, immediately following the wedding, the entire retinue of Taiyoukai, excepting a few diplomats and including Kagome, would be sailing to the Territory, where she would live for the rest of her very long life. It was also where the mating would take place.

The palace flew into a frenzy during the fourteen days hence to the great day, with the kitchens overworked and Taiyoukai wandering freely throughout the halls. The Miko were glad to see the centuries-long war over, but they still weren't comfortable with their until-quite-recently bitter enemies strolling comfortably in their beautiful gardens and courtyards. Occasionally a fight would break out, to be swiftly brought to an end by Kikyo and Sesshomaru, neither of whom wanted more trouble for their parents.

With the stress of everything piled on her shoulders, Midoriko was thankful for the end of Kagome's rebelliousness. Her confrontation with Sesshomaru had worked wonders indeed, for the young woman spent the few days left in her homeland making farewells to her friends, helping with preparations, and practicing for the ceremony.

When that day finally dawned, pink and glorious, Kagome arose with a heavy but determined heart. She had dreamed and wondered about this day since childhood, and although circumstances were hardly the stuff of daydreams, she had accepted the necessity and importance of this to the history and well-being of the clans Miko and Taiyoukai. It didn't mean she was happy about it, but she had resigned herself. It wasn't like she had a choice, anyways.

She started when a knock sounded on the door. "Who is it?"

"It is I."

Recognizing the voice, Kagome settled back among her pillows. "Come in." When her mother came in and sat on the end of the bed, she said, "Did you want something?"

Midoriko held up a neatly folded pile of clothes. "This is for the ceremony. It's traditional for the mother and sisters of the bride to help her dress for the ceremony, so Kikyo and I will come in after breakfast. The cooks are preparing a light meal for you, so why don't you take a bath in the meantime?"

"I guess." Kagome made no move to get up. "You didn't come here to just tell me that though, did you?"

"No."

"Okay." She waited.

"Is there… anything you want to tell me? Before you go? Any questions?"

Kagome was about to decline, but something popped into her head. Sitting up straighter, she asked, "So… When a Miko and Taiyoukai have a baby… How does that even work? I mean, wouldn't the Miko's body automatically purify any chance of a baby?"

"That would happen with an ordinary youkai. It would also happen if the Miko was significantly stronger than the Taiyoukai, and it has happened before. However, as long as the seed has sufficient youkai energy, it will hold its own within the Miko's body. No one knows exactly how it works, seeing as how the Miko and Taiyoukai would always go to war before any headway on research could be made."

"Okay… Well, how does a half-Miko, half-Taiyoukai baby even work? I mean, the halves are such polar opposites."

Midoriko shook her head. "Consider that Miko are the most powerful of the humans, and the Taiyoukai reign supreme over the youkai. A Miko's and Taiyoukai's energies are so contrary, so drastically far apart on the spectrum as to be polar opposites, that offspring cannot find any middle ground between the two, and pulled completely into one field. Any child born to you and Sesshomaru will be a Taiyoukai or a Miko- -possibly a human male with spiritual powers."

Kagome paused to consider this. "Wait, what if it's human? I mean, the Covenant calls for a heir."

"Then you try again." At Kagome's alarmed face, Midoriko hastened to add, "But it will most likely be a Taiyoukai the first time. The nature of the baby takes into account the strengths of the souls. The Miko's and Taiyoukai's energies are pushing for dominance, and each will try to pull the child into their energy. The most powerful of them will succeed, and at this point, with your youth, Sesshomaru is stronger than you. Not only will it be Taiyoukai, but their population leans heavily male-ward, so you will almost certainly have the heir the first time."

"I thought Taiyoukai were fine with strong females. So would they accept a female as the heir?"

"Inuyoukai packs are structured in a hierarchy according to strength, when it comes to youkai of the same species with the same blood, the males are almost always stronger than the females. Sesshomaru will want a son to take over the position of Alpha when he steps down."

Kagome coughed. "Okay. And about the kid, will I raise him? And how long will I be pregnant?"

"The pregnancy depends on the degree to which the mother's body can nourish the baby. It may be as few as six months, or as much as a whole year."

"A _year._" Kagome tried to imagine it, but failed. It sounded like hell.

"Yes. As for the raising, I expect you will have to discuss that with Sesshomaru."

"If I give birth to a Miko, will she grow up in Taiyoukai Territory, or will she be sent here?"

"That's a tough one," admitted Midoriko. "I would like to say she would stay with the Taiyoukai. We hope to establish a permanent base for diplomats in each territory, so there would be a small community of Miko for you and her to associate with. But she will always be welcome here."

"I will return for holidays and celebrations, right?"

"You would have to discuss that with Sesshomaru, but I don't see why not. You are a Miko, Kagome, and you always will be."

"Alright." Kagome planted her chin on her palms. Now for the most uncomfortable question. "So… What's expected of me… in the bedroom?"

Midoriko coughed. "Well, I wouldn't exactly know, Kagome."

"Well, uh, Sesshomaru's probably done it before, right?"

"Again, not something I would know…" Midoriko shrugged, trying to hide a smile. "You should go talk to Sesshomaru."

Kagome shrugged back. "I don't want to."

"That's alright." Midoriko waited for another question, but Kagome was looking out the window with a blank expression on her face. She clearly didn't want to talk any longer, so the Head Miko showed herself out, thus ending their awkward interview.

.

.

.

Sesshomaru examined himself distastefully in the mirror, taking in the sight of traditional human wedding garb upon his body. "Why am I unable to wear my regular clothes again?"

"Because it's Miko tradition, and we will adhere to their values while here," explained Kedakai, holding up a headdress. With a grimace, Sesshomaru allowed his father to set it upon his head. Refusing to look in the mirror with this added accessory, he turned to face his father.

"Why must I kneel to the miko?"

"Because their society is dominated by females, Sesshomaru. Again, it's tradition."

Sesshomaru was quiet for a moment. "How do you expect me to behave to the miko once we are in Taiyoukai Territory?"

Kedakai crossed his arms. "I have deep faith that you will find peace with her and raise a family together with happiness."

"What if she shuns my heir for being Taiyoukai?"

"No mother would."

"She's a hundred years old, Father. She has no motherly instincts as of yet, and views the mating with fear and apprehension."

His father shrugged coldly, and Sesshomaru glimpsed the true Inu no Taisho, the powerful Taiyoukai who was merciless and cruel, ruling the Territory with an iron fist. "She will have to deal with it. No doubt once she carries the child, her feelings will change. That is one of the qualities of a human, after all. They are vulnerable to constant shifts of heart due to their unstable emotions." His eyes were like chips of golden ice, and the laughing Kedakai was nowhere to be seen. "And if she cannot move past her child's nature, he will simply be removed from her care."

The young lordling looked away, with an inscrutable expression. "I thought you liked the miko."

The facade returned, and Kedakai smiled brightly. "Of course I do! I believe she's the perfect mate for you, son." He held up a black silk sash, embroidered with squares of gold. "Try this on. I think it's supposed to wrap around your waist like _this_."

Sesshomaru submitted to the attention, raising his arms like a bird's out from his sides. When he was finished, he turned his back to gaze out the open window, honestly done with his father's unpredictable moods.

.

.

.

The pavilion was built of towering white marble, and posed magnificently at the crest of a wooded valley, flanked by forest on all sides. Centuries had invited strands of ivy to crawl up the columns, and parts of the building had crumbled, making for an ancient, revered site of Miko ceremonies. Many days during the war, Miko had gathered here to meditate and restore their energy. This was also where young Miko took on the mantle of a warrior

Kagome, standing alone in an antechamber in the pavilion, remembered when she had stood in this very room one hundred years ago, only fifteen years old, scared and nervous but also proud and excited. A Miko's powers were dormant, only detectable through intense scrutiny, until she began menstruation. They would grow as a normal human baby would up until that point, and then the aging process would drastically slow to a bare crawl. The first bleed signified adulthood, and each young Miko looked forward to theirs with eagerness. Staring around the room, Kagome could feel her younger self, pacing excitedly around while trying to exercise her newfound powers.

Her eyes landed on a full-length mirror fastened to the wall, and hesitantly she walked closer until she took up the entire frame. Looking at the girl in the mirror, she didn't know if she recognized herself. She saw a youthful, but experienced Miko with dark hair flowing in smooth, heavy waves down her back, calm blue eyes gazing seriously back at her. She wore a deep ruby-red tunic, knee-length and cut in a taper to reveal the full length of her legs, over tight black pants tucked into tall black boots. A heavy black mantle defined her shoulders and glided in velvety, whispering folds to her feet. A dark, wine-red sash held a sheathed sword at her waist. The entire ensemble was trimmed and embroidered with gold.

Looking at herself, dressed in the formal attire of a high ranking miko, Kagome wanted to cry. This wasn't her. She was supposed to be wearing plain cotton tunics and climbing trees and laughing with her friends. She didn't _want _to marry, she didn't _want_ to leave everything she had ever known to go live with her ancient enemies, of whom she knew almost nothing. She caught another glance of herself in the mirror, and she was glad to see that it reflected her inner turmoil: the calm, poised Miko now looked desperate and fearful. She stared, entranced, into her own horrified eyes, and reached out to caress the cool, smooth surface. "I- -"

She was interrupted by the sound of a gong, beating mournfully and ominously. Gasping, she turned away from the mirror, trembling. She couldn't do this. She couldn't! Her hands were suddenly icy and slick with sweat. Her breath came in quick pants. Her shoulders heaved as she fought to get herself under control.

_Calm down, Kagome. You have to go now. You have to walk into the pavilion and put on a show. Calm down! _

She took deep breath after deep breath, and slowly, her breathing slowed, and her heartbeat returned to normal, but her hands remained sweaty as she strove to collect herself. Taking one last gulp of air, she finally wrestled her fear deep inside herself, slamming a sturdy lid down on it.

_I have to be strong._

Squaring her shoulders, she swept out of the chamber, prepared to meet her fate.

.

.

.

Sesshomaru stood alone at the altar, awaiting his future wife. Gazing out over the gathered audience, he inwardly smirked as he remembered the uproar when the Miko had found out the ceremony would take place in their precious pavilion. _A Taiyoukai has never set foot within the place! _they had protested. _It's a violation of our code of honor. _But Midoriko had crushed them with sheer willpower, and the Miko had had no choice but to bow down to their leader. Now the place was at least half full of Taiyoukai, and they were all thoroughly enjoying the dirty looks being passed their way by the disgruntled Miko.

When the gong began to sound he gazed expectantly at the entrance to the pavilion. When nine strokes passed without her appearance, the hall full of Miko and Taiyoukai began to murmur, their heads turning to glance back and forth between the empty doorway and the lone groom. As the going continued to sound, he wondered wearily if the miko had pulled another disappearing act. He really wasn't in the mood for this, child or not. In the front row, Midoriko and Kedakai were having a hushed conference, heads bent together. But they were soon reassured. A wave of energy pulsed through the entire pavilion, resonating through the walls, the pillars, their very bones. The crowd quickly quieted, and when the first footsteps were heard, the aura was unmistakable.

A rush of holy fire preceded her, roaring up the path and singeing the unlucky Taiyoukai who were sitting next to the aisle. The Miko appeared, walking with a slowness that was deliberate and a confidence that was intimidating, her hair and mantle billowing out behind her. Step by step, she advanced, her feet moving in tandem with the steady beat of the gong. She was looking straight at him with those very blue eyes of hers, and never once did she break eye contact. The transformation was incredible. When he had seen her last, she had been dressed very simply, and her manner had suggested everything about a child. Now it was everything but. She wore the fine garb of a senior officer in the Miko ranks, not dissimilar to her mother's or sister's. Her youth was still apparent, but the graveness of her face indicated a maturity beyond her years. Her reiki was as strong as her sister's, ravenous but controlled flames licking the marble floor all around her. As she passed, Miko beamed proudly at her and Taiyoukai shrank back from the overpowering might of her aura. Sesshomaru found himself enjoying the show. It was tradition for the Miko bride to showcase her powers as she walked the aisle, so he supposed most of the Miko here had seen something similar to this before, but it was new to him. As she advanced down the aisle, drawing nearer to him, Sesshomaru prepared himself for the _other_ aspect of the ancient tradition that he found quite distasteful.

The Miko ascended the dais and stood there, looking up at him serenely. He gazed back with equal composure, and the pavilion was dead silent save for the quiet whispering of her fire. Then slowly, Sesshomaru sank down on one knee and bowed his head.

"Miko Kagome, I meet you here today to ask for your hand in marriage. In exchange, I offer to you my home and my hearth, all my earthly wealth, my sword in battle, and the whole of my heart." He drew his sword and held the blade flat on both palms, still not looking up. He raised his arms, and the cool weight of the quality metal was lifted from his hands by the miko, who took the sword by the hilt and rested the tip on his shoulder.

"Taiyoukai Sesshomaru, I meet you here today to give you my hand in marriage. I accept and thank you for your home and your hearth, all your earthly wealth, your sword in battle, and the whole of your heart."

"Miko Kagome, I will be your husband. I will stand beside you in the day and stand beside you in the night. You will be my only, and I will be faithful. You will have nothing from me but the truth, and my secrets will be yours. You will be my life companion."

Transferring the blade to the other shoulder, Kagome intoned, "Taiyoukai Sesshomaru, I will be your wife. I will stand beside you in the day and stand beside you in the night. You will be my only, and I will be faithful. You will have nothing from me but the truth, and my secrets will be yours. You will be my life companion."

"Miko Kagome, as your husband, I will be honorable. I will toil fairly and raise our children well. I will take any of your burden gladly and place it on my own shoulders without hesitation. I will face down any challenge, any adversary with you by my side."

Kagome lifted the sword and rested the tip on his crown of silver hair. "Taiyoukai Sesshomaru, as your wife, I will be honorable. I will toil fairly and raise our children well. I will take any of your burden gladly and place it on my own shoulders without hesitation. I will face down any challenge, any adversary with you by my side."

Sesshomaru rose gracefully to his feet. Staring evenly into the eyes of the Miko, he continued, "Miko Kagome, I am awed by your courage and your daring. In battle, I have observed you, and I admire your spirit and dedication. You will never stop fighting for justice."

"Taiyoukai Sesshomaru, I have watched you in battle, and your beauty and art in combat never fail to silence me. With a sword in your hand, you are as an artist with a paintbrush, making his mark on the world. Your absolute control is stunning, and it inspires me to push myself harder."

"Miko Kagome, will you spend the rest of your days with me, giving me children to love and lighting my days? Will you be my wife?"

"Taiyoukai Sesshomaru, I will spend the rest of my days with you, giving you children to love and lighting your days.I will be your wife."

As they spoke those words, Sesshomaru detected panic from the girl, rising slowly but steadily. Her breathing was quickening, and her heart beat loudly in his ears, but she held his gaze.

His eyes never breaking away from hers, he leaned down and set his hand gently on her head. "Miko Kagome, I am proud to call you my wife."

"And I you my husband," she whispered, and then he was kissing her, and at first she was stiff, but then she melted into his arms.

* * *

**Day Nine of 12 Days of Christmas, in which I update one of my stories every day up to Christmas Day! **

**Previously we had _A Petal in Murky Waters: in which a banished youkai prince falls in love with mere village girl._**

**Next we will have General, an AU SK in which the brothers Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are at war, and Kagome is the commanding general for Sesshomaru's forces.**

**Cheers!**

**Philosophy Blue**


	9. Perspective

**CH 9**

**per·spec·tive**

**pərˈspektiv/**

**_noun_**

**a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.**

The hem of her tunic whipped around her knees in the wind as Kagome stared forlornly at the ominously large ship awaiting to take her away from all that she had ever known. Behind her, Sesshomaru was looking fondly on the monstrosity.

"We call her the _Sahara. _It's a foreign word that means 'desert,' which is ironic, as this ship was designed to conquer the seas."

Kagome shrugged. "She floats." She jumped when a heavy hand clapped down on her shoulder.

"A true beaut' she is," said Kedakai proudly. "See how every inch of her is streamlined, yet she remains majestically imposing… None of those skinny minnows you Miko have got." He waved his hand in mock dismissal.

"Those 'skinny minnows' manage to outmaneuver your ships nine out of ten times," Kagome replied dryly. "Perhaps your 'beauts' should drop weight."

"If your ships are princesses, then my _Sahara_ is a queen. Nimble she may not be, but she excels in tenacity and strength."

"To each his own."

They fell silent, and the only sound came from the waves crashing upon the docks.

"Well, shall we go, dear wife?" Sesshomaru extended his hand to Kagome. Turning her back on the watching crowd of Miko, Taiyoukai, and civilians, she raised her hand to take it when a voice called out desperately behind her.

"Lady Kagome! Lady Kagome!"

She turned to see a young girl of no more than ten, clearly a civilian, bursting from the crowd. Panting, the girl bent over to clutch her knees. The bandage wrapped around her head, concealing her right eye, was filthy with dirt and blood. After a moment, she looked up. "Lady Kagome, please forgive a girl for being impudent, but before you go, please accept these." She held out a bunch of wilted yellow flowers, her one good eye shining with hope.

Kagome glanced back at Sesshomaru, who was impassive, then crouched down and accepted the flowers. "Thank you. What is your name?"

"I'm Kaede," she replied proudly. "I just wanted to thank you, Lady Kagome, for being so brave and selfless."

Kagome couldn't help but smile. "You have my gratitude, Kaede, but I am afraid I am not so brave nor am I selfless. I will treasure these flowers. Where is your mother?" She moved to stand up, but the girl's mumbles stopped her.

"I don't have any family left, Lady Kagome."

"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that," she said softly, and her sorrow was genuine. As estranged as she currently was from her mother, she still could not imagine the world without her. She glanced behind her to see Sesshomaru waiting. Kedakai had already boarded the ship. "Kaede, what happened to your eye?"

"I was scavenging in the forests a few days ago when suddenly, a tremor shook the ground. I stumbled straight into a sharp twig, and now I cannot see from that eye. We barely managed to curb infection."

A tremor? Kagome couldn't remember the occurrence of such a thing. A few days ago? … _Oh no. _It had been the aftershock of her fight with Sesshomaru. It was her fault that this little girl was now crippled for the rest of her life. "But your village ought to have a Miko patrolling the region, even in war."

"She was called to join in a rebuttal of a Taiyoukai attack a week before the incident, a few days before the armistice. She was reported dead, and we never received a replacement." Kaede looked down at her dirty feet.

Stinging regret welled up inside Kagome. Slowly, she reached out and clasped one of Kaede's hands with both of her own. "Kaede…"

"But it'll be alright now, Lady Kagome!" cheered Kaede. "Now that the war is over, we can rebuild the village. I am lucky I lost only an eye. Strong, brave Miko gave up their lives in the war." She blinked innocently up at Kagome. "And you're the most selfless of them all."

_That's not true. I'm a coward. I tried to run away from my duty. _Swallowing hard, Kagome squeezed the child's hands. "Kaede, could you close your eyes for me?" She didn't know if she could do this. The wound wasn't fresh, and this was a skill that only experienced Miko possessed. If she failed, she didn't want to disappoint the child, so she lied. "I would like to give you my blessing, if you would permit."

"Of course!" gasped Kaede, clearly awed. "But I don't want to take up your time…"

"It's no issue."

Nervous but excited, the girl closed her eyes and waited.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome closed her eyes as well and laid her palms on either side of Kaede's head. With a whisper, her powers flared to life and swirled from her hands, directly into her patient's body. With a shudder, Kagome _entered_ Kaede. Inside, it was a barely suppressed storm of pain, sorrow, and conversely, joy. The emotions tangled like a dark thundercloud in her mind's eye. Steeling herself, she launched herself directly into the storm. She gasped as she was buffeted by the girl's emotions directly. She was scared, so _scared_, and Mama and Papa were gone, all _gone, _and the village was a wasteland, _where had all the flowers gone? _She couldn't believe she was getting to meet Lady Kagome, oh gosh, this was so _exciting, _but what would she do when it was over? And her eye, it hurt, it _hurt!_ She was a cripple, and no one would ever want to marry her, and no one wanted to adopt her either, and- -and…

Kagome forced herself to accept the turmoil as part of herself, riding the current of Kaede's consciousness. From inside the storm, she extended herself carefully and touched the body of her patient. There was mostly calm, but balls of twisted fire were concentrated along her injuries, the biggest being her eye socket. Kagome gathered herself at that spot and tenderly began to untangle the knot of fiery pain.

_You must have been hurting so much, Kaede. I'm so sorry. _

It was strenuous work. With every broken end she encountered, she sealed it with her own energy. She lost track of the time, knowing only that it was taking a long time. She had to extricate each strand oh-so-carefully, and refrain from further damaging anything. The coiled, injured energy centered around Kaede's eye seemed eager to entangle themselves again, so Kagome had to extend tendrils of her energy to hold them in place. When finally the huge tangle had been sorted out into a neat mass, she began to regenerate. Most of the previously existing strands had been severed entirely, and she had to create replacements with her own energy. She spun herself out, caring not that she was growing weak.

Finally, she was done. She took a step back to observe her work. What had previously been an intimidating tangle of damage and hurt was now a throbbing, healthy mass, a mix of her and Kaede's energy- -mostly hers. Satisfied, she withdrew herself into Kaede's consciousness, where the girl was almost in a trance, and then out entirely.

Kagome opened her eyes to the world around her and staggered backwards, blinking repeatedly. Her hands fell limply to her sides, and she met eyes with Kaede. The girl was trembling.

"Lady Kagome… What did you do?"

She glanced around and saw that everyone was watching with rapt attention. Sesshomaru was staring at her with coldly calculating eyes. She forced her gaze away from his and stepped closer to Kaede. Without a word, she reached out and began to unravel the girl's bandages. Under her trembling hands, the girl was shaking. As the last strip of linen fell away, she could hear an intake of breath from the watching crowd.

Kaede looked back up at her with both eyes… one brown, and the other a glowing blue.

Kagome cursed herself. She had filled in the huge gap in Kaede's eye code with her own. She _knew_ she had forgotten something! God, she was so stupid- - She gasped as the little girl launched herself into her arms, sobbing.

"Lady Kagome, thank you so much! I… I thought I would be crippled forever! Lady Kagome…"

Kagome blinked back tears. "I'm glad you're happy, Kaede, but your eye…"

"Is blue," interrupted Kikyo, stepping forward. "Are you satisfied paying the price to see with a differently colored eye, girl?"

Kaede gaped up at the imposing, elder Miko. "Of course, L-Lady Kikyo!"

Kikyo made her way closer, frowning. Kaede edged away, eyes widening, but Kikyo did not relent, standing tall over the child.

"Kagome," she said slowly. "What have you done?"

"W-what? I don't know," said Kagome nervously. "I didn't know the textbook procedure, so I had to improvise everything… Did I mess up something really badly?"

Without answering, Kikyo bent down and laid her palm over Kaede's new eye. She murmured a few incantations, and stepped back, eyes narrowed.

"Kagome…"

The suspense was killing her. What had she done?

"This girl… possesses reiki."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome blinked at the girl warily.

"She did not possess any more reiki than the average human before you healed her eye, but now…" Kikyo frowned at her younger sister. "Now she is full of it."

"A residue of my energy?" tried Kagome.

"No. It's more like…" Kikyo shook her head. "I don't know what it is, but it's not your energy. But this makes no sense. Miko are born, not created…" She stared strangely at Kagome. "What exactly did you do?"

Kagome shook her head, bemused. "I have no idea. I just… followed my instincts."

Kikyo turned to the little girl. "Kaede, was it?"

"Yes, Lady Kikyo."

"How would you like to come live at the Palace?"

"_What?_" Kaede gasped. "Surely you jest, my Lady!"

"I do not," said Kikyo seriously. "There is an empty gap left by my leaving sister. Come live with me. You will need training for your newfound energy, and I would like to look at your abilities further." She smiled. "You will not be forced to do anything you do not want to do."

Kaede was shocked. "I… are you sure?"

"Perfectly," said Kikyo serenely. "You've lost your family and your village is in ruins. Perhaps after your training is complete, you could return to your village and help heal the land."

"Truly?"

"Truly."

Kagome watched with a smile as an awed Kaede took the hand Kikyo offered her. She still felt like she had done something wrong, but it seemed things would turn out well. She met eyes with her older sister. "I'll see you, then."

"Yes. Make haste, little Kagome." The Higurashi sisters clasped hands. "Goodbye. I wish you luck."

"Thank you." Kagome turned to Sesshomaru. "I hope I didn't take up too much time."

"Hn. An hour or so."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"No harm done."

She smiled dazedly at him, barely knowing through her fog of fatigue that she was showing affection to her sworn enemy. "Then let's- -" In mid-sentence, she blacked out. Her knees buckled, and she toppled forward. The crowd gasped.

"Tsk. Silly Miko." Sesshomaru caught her easily and settled her in his arms. He swept a commanding gaze over the gleefully cheering crowd and settled on Midoriko and Kikyo. They raised their hands in farewell, and he gave them a nod before turning crisply on his heel and striding onto the ship.

He didn't look back.

**This chapter illustrates Kagome looking on her actions from a different perspective and hopefully become more mature and learning her lesson. **

**Cheers! **

**p.s. Reviews are author fodder ;)**


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